Tag Archive | "PAX Prime 2011"

It’s a word that brings a big smile on many gamer’s faces. Usually an instant hot topic among gamers. A game convention truly for fans and devs; a place where they can connect. And with the industry expanding and growing each year, we always expect PAX Prime to break some kind of record, or to exceed drastic measures. This year, they surely did.

CrowdClassicMoments: When we first visited PAX a few years ago, we instantly fell in love with the atmosphere all around. Perfect amount of crowd which led to a perfect amount of attention that you would expect from game companies. Now though, it feels like another big convention. I’m not complaining here though, since we are actually going to these conventions for work. But many of our friends who attended PAX for the first time thought the place was just too crowded to enjoy the full experience. Generally though people were still excited to play many anticipated titles.

GillRider: I agree with ClassicMoments on this one. The first PAX we attended was awesome! I feel like we got a lot done, both for work, and for ourselves. But now, the lines are discouragingly long to experience many of the games. I was in line for for a demo play of X-Men Destiny, and I was waiting so long that I just had to give up. But with that said, I really do think its great that PAX doesn’t discriminate exceedingly between fans and media. For the most part, we are all equal participants. And I complain about long lines, but really, isn’t that what conventions are all about? A huge gathering of people with the same interest?

Swags and boothsClassicMoments: We did found some cool swags, but overall, I think the industry still suffers from the downsized economy. It was hard to spot a booth giving out stuff like nobody’s business; not even a small button. Many companies however put lots of effort on their booths to attract their fans. I just wish that they were spaced out a bit further so then people don’t accidentally punch or kick others……ever again.

GillRider: Yeah, swags have been harder and harder to find. And you definitely need to fight your way through to get any. I’ve found that more and more, companies are making you work for your swag. There were many scavenger hunt-type deals where you had certain objectives, and once they’ve been met, you can trade the score card in for a swag. Other types of challengers were beating a hired, expert player, taking surveys, etc. Fun, but time consuming.

EventsClassicMoments: So many interesting events. Almost too many that it wasn’t easy to map out schedules for the whole PAX experience. Well, you can’t win ‘em all, right? This year, instead of panels, I decided to take a different route and looked into a gaming tournament room. As soon as I entered, I could feel the tension between competitors. Many if not every matches were done and over with a silent smile of satisfaction and dejection. I was expecting more of a festival competition, but nonetheless there were many interesting matches which I enjoyed.

GillRider: There was a panel that we had planned to attend, so we made our way to a theatre at a different hotel. As we got off the elevator, there were swarms of people exiting/entering and lining up. It was a bit hard to tell where to go, so I asked one of the Enforcers, about the panel. He told me to ask another Enforcer that was guiding traffic. Though he was really busy, he stopped to listen to my question, and kindly told me the panel was cancelled, but also gave me suggestions as to what other panels/events were going on at that time. I was impressed with how helpful and nice he was. Good job PAX Enforcers!

Ready for the next PAX Prime!ClassicMoments: Though it’s still the best gaming convention for gaming fans, I don’t think PAX Prime is trying to please everyone anymore. It’s an inevitable path that every growing convention goes through, and from my personal experience, PAX Prime tries very hard to keep their high standard and is so far succeeding. But I also have to wonder if PAX Prime can keep its reputation high. Hopefully it can for the next year and forward, because the fun of being there easily outweighs little hiccups here and there. See you all next year!

GillRider: I’m personally already excited for PAX Prime next year. The panels are always great, and the booths are exciting! I’m always just thrilled with the conventions atmosphere that’s unique to PAX. Though as PAX grows, I’m wondering if the Washington State Convention Center is big enough to host it. If they do expand, I hope they keep it local, and keep up the great, hi-quality experience we’ve seen thus far!

Another game we made sure not to miss at PAX Prime is the Torchlight II.

We’ve fallen in love with the series ever since before the original Torchlight was released, and we’re glad we fell in love; it’s definitely painful to wait in anticipation for its release, but every preview and hands-on we get, we’re reminded and made assure that it’s worth the wait.

The cool thing about this series is that every time we try the latest hands-on, we can see and feel the painstaking efforts the developers have made to evolve the title into something different, rather than just patching things up from the previous one. For this year’s Torchlight II hands-on, we’re glad to inform you that such tradition still stands.

Torchlight II was more fun when being heavily medicated from the wisdom tooth extraction!

First, let’s start with the things you may already know; four-classes, colorful maps above and under the ground-level, fluent drop-in and out multiplayer modes for WAN/LAN environments, auto-adjusted difficulties, randomized-level designs and quests, release price set to $19.99, yadda yadda yadda…

In this article though, we want to talk about something even more of a breaking news – like how it felt to play as the latest newcomer to Torchlight II: Embermage!

Let’s cut to the chase by getting to the conclusion first: Embermage is definitely a fun class to play. With an adequate mix of range-attack skills and AoE attacks, you will find yourself concentrating on different combos, getting rid of multiple enemies at once. No crazy micromanaging; just pure fun using magic to kill single or multiple enemies. Ebermages definitely have a style everyone seeks in a good co-op gameplay experience.

Honestly though, it’s difficult to explain it well enough without the use of good screenshots. We couldn’t capture them, but once we get more details, we will make sure to post them! Until then, if you’re lucky enough to be participating PAX Prime 2011, make sure to check out booth 770!

PAX Prime 2011 is the place for all the latest hands-on and news announcements of big titles.

But if you’ve followed our event coverages in the past, one thing you should know by now is that we cover games that deserve your attention, but often get looked over. And Crimson: Steam Pirates fits perfectly into this category.

Crimson: Steam Pirates is a touch-screen based game for the iPad. And before you roll your eyes and jump to any mislead conclusions, let us be clear that it’s not just another typical, easy-to-play casual game; it definitely has something to offer for us mid/hardcore gamers.

Basically, the game is a turn-based strategy game. On each turn, you can map out plans and command your ships. You can simply attack enemies or repair your damaged ship, etc. Though the game mechanics have depth, the whole gameplay experience is simple and intuitive, thanks to the touch-screen control. We’re sure that most of you guys have played touch-screen games and know what we’re talking about.

So, is this game worth mentioning? The simple answer is yes. Tablet PC being one of the fastest growing market right now, we believe that Crimson: Steam Pirates is a positive showcase not only for casual gamers, but mid and hardcore gamers as well. Turn-based strategy game with simple interface and control, with interesting world concept – how often do you get to play the game which has both “steam” and “pirates” in its title?

The first chapter/act of the game will be available for free, and is scheduled for a September 1, 2011 release. We will let you know more about it as soon as we get more information. If you’re attending PAX Prime 2011 and want to play the demo, visit booth 682.